It’s hard to believe we are at the start of another new year! 2025 was another busy year for the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, so I wanted to take a moment to reflect on all that happened and all that we have to look forward to in the coming year.

Chaarvi Badani, Amber Porter, Joy Ippolito, Billy Busch at Impact Capital Managers Fall Convening

Several of our portfolio companies continue to shine at the national level. EnGen has been at the forefront of demonstrating measurable impact for English language upskilling in the workplace and was featured in Newsweek for their impressive outcomes for worker retention and upward economic mobility. AnswersNow CEO and founder Jeff Beck was honored as a 2025 EY Entrepreneur of the Year, a well-deserved recognition for his commitment to building a world class virtual ABA therapy system for autism care. The company continues to grow their impact on families across the country, bringing their total number of accredited states to seven with the recent addition of Colorado.

Bark also continued to stack up on well-earned accolades. The NYT Wirecutter joined the list of trusted entities recommending the Bark phone and New York Magazine highlighted the Bark Watch as one of their weekly delights.

Chaarvi Badani with the Kit Switch team

We also welcomed two new startups into our portfolio this year. We are energized by the work already underway by Armelle Coutant and Candice Delamarre at Kit Switch as they look to make retrofits and new construction in affordable housing quicker, less expensive, and more sustainable.

And we are excited to support Cameron Carter on his journey with Rosarium Health to assist with home modifications to improve home safety and accessibility for aging and disabled Americans. We look forward to welcoming more inspiring founders and startups into our portfolio in the coming months.

Joy Ippolito moderating a panel at Impact Capital Managers Fall Convening

Our team spent the year crisscrossing the country for various conferences and industry events, including NY Fintech Week, Aspen Ideas: Climate Chicago, Verge, and Money20/20—just to name a few! We also co-hosted an engaging discussion with our friends at Buoyant Ventures, City Light Capital, and SJF Ventures during NY Climate Week. We remain grateful for the meaningful partnerships we have with our peer impact funds and are excited to deepen the relationships with new colleagues.

For all the good that happened this year, we would be remiss not to acknowledge that this has also been a challenging year for many. We know the founder journey is not an easy one and hold space for those who have experienced setbacks in their mission to do good in the world. Though plans change for some, we remain grateful to each of you for your dedication to creating impact for the individuals, families, and communities that surround us.

Visiting the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety in South Carolina

As we look to the future, we are energized by the possibilities before us to create meaningful change and impact in climate and home resilience, access to affordable housing, and equity in the application of AI for social good. We look forward to meeting new founders with bold visions that will help shape our collective future. And we have some exciting ideas of our own in the works for 2026—stay tuned to our page for future updates!